A recent Herald editorial said we should put a state income tax on the table. Your response? Take that right back off the table. Then chop the table into small pieces and burn the house down, just to be sure.
State Treasurer James McIntire’s proposal is pretty moderate. It would be a flat 5 percent tax on income above $50,000, along with a reduction in the state sales tax, a lower business-and-occupation tax, and elimination of the state’s portion of the property tax. Overall, he says, it would make Washington a more family-friendly and business-friendly environment, and it would dig the state out of the financial pickle that’s making it tough to fully fund education without gutting everything else.
Our latest poll at HeraldNet.com asked if you would support it, and the results should be a surprise to no one: 77 percent voted against the idea.
Everyone knows our state’s tax system is regressive and tougher than most on families and businesses. But everyone also knows that once there’s a tax in place, that tax tends to inch its way upward. Therein lies the rub. It’s hard to blame people for being skeptical, even when wise economists tell us it would be in our best interest.
McIntire’s proposal includes a constitutional amendment to make it tougher to raise taxes. Would it change the poll result if we included that detail in the question?
Nah, probably not.
How about if we asked, “If you were stranded on a desert island and your only hope for survival was a state income tax, would you support one?”
I’m guessing the vote would still be 60-40 against.
— Doug Parry, Herald Web editor: dparry@heraldnet.com
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